On Sunday, a good friend of mine lent me a very stimulating book called Destination Moon. It is written by Astronaut James Irwin, the eighth man to walk on the moon. When James looked back at the earth, he reflected, “I felt that I was seeing the Earth with the eyes of God.”

James also test flew the YF-12A, the forerunner of the SR 71 Blackbird. The crew room wall had written upon it: “Though I walk through the Valley of the Shadow of Death, I will fear no Evil, because I’m passing 80,000 feet and climbing.”

A short history of Kelly Johnson’s incredible aircraft can be found here. It is what is known in the trade as “a hot shoe” and James Irwin loved it.

It is paradoxical that Irwin retired from all this exciting activity to become a travelling evangelist. He must have thought that communicating the Gospel of Jesus Christ was even more adventurous.

On Monday, the newspaper Christians for Israel arrived. On page 13 there is a report of when Neil – “One small step for man” – Armstrong, the first man on the moon, visited Jerusalem. He was walking up the steps to the Temple, when he asked his guide, the Israeli archaeologist, Ben-Dov, “So Jesus stepped right here?”

“That’s right”, answered Ben-Dov.

“I have to tell you,” Armstrong said to him, “I am more excited stepping on these stones than I was stepping on the moon.”

Both these heroes are dead now. But these anecdotes really strengthened my growing belief that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the most exciting news in the world – and also out of it.

Maybe I want to fully evolve, after all!

Gibber! Gibber!

Chugley

The Space-Struck Chimp